Effingham County commissioners unanimously declined to move forward with a “tent city” that would house emergency personnel during a disaster.

Adam Kobek, director of community relations, told commissioners at their Oct. 16 meeting that the county attorney and financial director had “serious reservations” about the deal, which was brought to the county by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.

GEMA approached Effingham County and asked for its help as part of regional disaster response. A federal grant of $675,000 would pay for the tents, without any matching funds from the county.

The tent system, which would fit in a 53-foot trailer, includes showers, toilets and an electric generator. Volunteers would be trained to set up the system, one of three statewide.

The tents would be used to house 100 emergency workers during disasters such as collapsed buildings, wildfires, tornadoes or deployment of weapons of mass destruction.

The county commission had agreed in January to move forward with the project. Val Ashcraft, who was director of the county emergency management agency at that time, said the tents are likely to be used infrequently and in the meantime, the county would get use of a $75,000 generator.

Hotels and auditoriums would be used if available and the tents would only be used as a last resort, Ashcraft said.

Ashcraft said at the time that certain “legalese” would still have to be agreed upon.

Kobek said on Oct. 16 that county staff was unable to work out an acceptable agreement regarding the project. He said the county was being asked to report on and certify things that GEMA did and that the county has no control over.

If something goes wrong, the Department of Homeland Security would hold the county responsible, “up to and including reimbursement of grant funds awarded,” Kobek said.

County Attorney Eric Gotwalt said the idea was that GEMA would acquire the equipment and Effingham would be the repository. It would be available to Effingham and other jurisdictions.

But the grant paperwork says the county asked for the equipment “because we have a need for it, not saying that GEMA wants it,” he said.

Finance Director Joanna Wright said county staff had to do a request through the state’s open records act to see what the documents said.